Our American Stories

On this episode of Our American Stories, after a flash flood tore through his church, Stephen Rusiniak stood ankle-deep in water and debris, not quite sure where to begin. The rooms where Sunday school once echoed had collapsed into a mess of ruined walls and floating Bibles. But it’s what happened next that really left a mark. What Stephen witnessed reminded him of a scene from How the Grinch Stole Christmas. After disaster struck and the citizens of Whoville were left with nothing, they still gathered together to lend a hand to their fellow neighbors and celebrate each other despite the wreckage left behind. Stephen joins us today to describe how he saw a little bit of Dr. Seuss in the kindhearted response from his local community. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, every Sunday, Our American Stories host Lee Habeeb speaks with Mitchel "Big Mitch" Rutledge, who has spent more than forty years serving a life sentence in Alabama. Each call traces the shape of faith, regret, and forgiveness inside a place built for punishment. Mitch opens with a memory that still sets the tone for how he sees prison: a place where you learn to sleep with one eye open and keep your back to the wall. He talks about the people who shaped him on the inside (both good and bad), and shares poems written in their honor. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, The Civil War had ended. Washington was alive with celebration, and President Lincoln was finally stepping into a season that promised hope. But that new beginning never arrived. John Wilkes Booth cut it short. Our host, Lee Habeeb, shares the story in a way you may not have heard before—one that begins with the happiest day of Lincoln’s life just days before his assassination. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, Andrew Thompson shares another slice of his guide to understanding the baffling mini-mysteries of the English language, this time diving into how the phrase “bring home the bacon” came to be. His book, Hair of the Dog to Paint the Town Red: The Wonderful Origins of Everyday Expressions and Fun Phrases, is a must-read. Be sure to check it out! Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, Christmas has a way of slipping into the cracks of history, even in years when war tried to swallow the season whole. The History Guy pulls together the overlooked moments when Christmas and military history collided in unexpected ways. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, when Paul decided it was time to get serious about weight loss, he went all in on the kind of fitness plan that looks sensible on paper and slightly unhinged in practice. He wrestled with machines that never moved, counted laps he could never quite remember, and kept trying to turn discipline into something he enjoyed. His journey through healthy eating habits and gym-floor humility becomes a funny, familiar look at what happens when a clean eating dream meets real life. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, John Ford was already shaping the Golden Age of film, the force behind classics like Stagecoach and The Informer, when World War II pulled him toward a different kind of frontier. At forty-seven, with Hollywood at his feet and a reputation as one of America’s greatest directors, Ford walked away from the studio lot and into the U.S. Navy. Historian and Wild-West expert Roger McGrath shares how a filmmaker known for mythic westerns ended up documenting a real war and why that decision changed John Ford’s legacy forever. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, Babe Ruth was the Greatest baseball player of all time, yet time proved to be his greatest enemy. Join us as Mike Gibbons tells the story of Babe Ruth's final years as a professional baseball player. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, when the Oklahoma City bombing shattered the Murrah Building, people were left searching for something that made sense. The investigation into Timothy McVeigh was only just beginning, and the shock of the tragedy had not yet lifted. Billy Graham arrived in a city that felt suspended between grief and disbelief. His sermon offered language for a moment no one knew how to describe, and many residents still remember it as a turning point in the days following April 19, 1995. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Our American Stories, every country has moments it would rather not rewatch, and the Palmer Raids sit high on America’s list. What began as scattered bomb scares and loud political rhetoric slowly slid into mass arrests, borderless investigations, and a government convinced that civil liberties were optional when the stakes felt high enough. Larry Reed unpacks how fear, politics, and a restless Justice Department collided in nineteen twenty, turning a national anxiety spike into one of the clearest case studies of how the rule of law can warp under pressure. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.